


Stupid Pride

by Mollyraesly



Series: Jily Pirate AUs (Nah, She Didn't) [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Banter, F/M, James Potter - Freeform, Jily Challenge, Jily Pirate Fest, Knives, Lily Evans - Freeform, Rivals, jamesxlily, jilychallenge, nah she didn't, pirate, prison break - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-16
Updated: 2017-02-16
Packaged: 2018-09-24 20:45:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9785444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mollyraesly/pseuds/Mollyraesly
Summary: Responding to a prompt for the jilychallenge! "one goes to rescue their favorite rival, who has been captured and is sentenced to death for their crimes pirate au"





	

Captain Potter was the most notorious pirate England had ever seen.

Mothers whispered horrible tales of his daring exploits to scare their children silly into being good; hardened sailors turned pale white at even the mention of his name; Her Majesty's Navy searched the seas for him and his damned crew with a thousand pounds offered for each of their heads.

You couldn't go into a pub without someone talking about him or his infamous crew of Marauders.

Captain James Potter. Absolutely notorious and the embodiment of mischief--but never malice.

The wenches loved him.

And she hated him.

Not because he was a pirate; she was one too. But because she wanted to be known as the the most notorious pirate England had ever seen.

She wanted children to wet themselves in bed dreaming of her and grown men to shrivel in fear and awe upon hearing about her exploits. It was to capture her head that Her Majesty's the Navy should tire themselves out trying to bring her to justice. She wanted her name to be the one on everyone's lips.

That damn Potter. Her biggest rival in all the seven seas. And to make matters worse, the prat had gone and gotten himself captured by those nutters who flew death skulls on their sails and tortured immigrants.

Even if she hated Potter, no one deserved to be imprisoned by that terrible and vicious lot. No one.

And even though she was a pirate, she was not without a moral code.

 

Plus, she knew that if Potter died and she became the most notorious pirate alive, the victory would be hollow. Her stupid Pride told her that she needed to steal the title away from Potter while he was still at his best. Only then would it be worth it. Only when he--her biggest rival--admitted her superiority would she be satisfied.

 

So she chased after the Sectumsempra and followed her death sails across the world. She ran her crew ragged. Alice and Mary were tired and frustrated, but she never gave up. She would find Sectumsempra and free Potter from those Death Eaters or die trying.

And at last she did, off the coast of Gibraltar. Her crew wanted to join her in boarding the ship, but she was determined to go it alone. This was her duty.

If Potter had been stupid enough to get captured, she refused to be the fool who let her crew join him in the brig.

"Be careful, Captain," earned Mary, her first mate and most trusted friend as she passed Lily her knives. "If they catch you, well, you know what they do to non-native borns."

She slipped a knife into each boot, one into her vest, and five into her hair before putting on her hat. "I have to try, don't I? I know the risks, but I can't leave him to die at their hands. Not even Potter."

"Don't you hate him, Captain?"

Lily shrugged. "Guess not as much as I thought." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a map, which she handed to Mary. "I've marked where we'll rendezvous. If I'm not there in three days, I want you to leave without me."

"But Lily--"

She shook her head, her decision final. "Three days. That's it."

Seeing the trepidation in her friend's eyes, she reached over to hug her firmly. "Don't worry," she said softly. "I'll be fine. I'm the most notorious pirate these seven seas have ever seen."

And with a wink, she was out of her cabin's door.

She gave her ship Petunia a loving last look before diving into the sea.

Lily was an excellent swimmer and made it to Sectumsempra in short time, even though the current was strong. Getting onto the ship unseen was tricky for even a great pirate, but she managed using a few tricks of her own.

Luckily, it was a dark night with the moon mostly hidden by the clouds. Even still, she made sure her distinctive red hair was covered by her hat.

Once on the deck she found a hiding spot where she could catch her breath. She spotted two crewmen to her left.

"Cloudy tonight," the taller one remarked.

"Good omen for a pirate."

"Aye. Shame we don't have a raid scheduled for tonight."

"Well, if we get bored, Potter is down in the brig. I'm sure that blood traitor could take a few more licks before the sun rises."

Lily growled at their laughter. Not in the mood to hear any more, she crept away from her hidden place in search of the stairs leading down toward center of the ship where she would find the brig.

She was being as quiet as she could be, watching over her shoulder hawkishly. But when she seemed to have found the way to go, a voice calling out to her made her freeze.

Suddenly the chill of the night air and her wet clothes made her shiver.

"Oi, that you, Lestrange? Where you headed?"

Lily didn't turn her head but knew she must answer.

"Down to the brig," she said in a gravelly voice she hoped the stranger would accept. "To see Potter."

Her heart pounded. It had been risky to tell the truth, but she'd been caught too unaware to lie. He took a few seconds to respond, and Lily was sure she was done for.

But then he chuckled darkly. "Oh, Bella, you are cruel. Twice in one night. Your stamina is unparalleled."

Lily murmured noncommittally. Something about this guy gave her a very bad feeling.

"Just no fire this time. The ship is flammable, you know," he added with a cool sneer.

Lily's blood was hot, but her heart felt full of ice. She nodded and then made her way deeper into the ship, careful not to show anyone her face.

She made one wrong turn and then two more but finally found the brig.

Potter was crumpled in the corner curled into himself. He was shirtless, and she could see bruises of different shades and sizes littering his chest--along with dark burn marks.

Even though he looked like he hadn't eaten in weeks, he rose to his feet when he heard the crunch of her boots.

"I'm not telling you anything. You can keep torturing me. I'll never sell out my crew. I'd die first."

"Well, hopefully it won't come to that. I am risking my neck to save you, Potter. Would be a right shame for it all to come to moot."

"Bloody hell. I'd know that voice anywhere, even if I were dead as could be. All right, Evans?" He pressed himself against the bars to get a better look at her. "Captain Evans. You are a vision."

It amazed her that he could go from shaking in a cell from cold and hunger to defiantly brave and loyal to annoyingly cheeky and devastatingly flirtatious within the span of a minute.

"Oh, shut it, Potter."

He grinned. "So you're here to rescue me?"

"Aye."

"That's ruddy brilliant of you."

"Yes, I thought so."

Potter crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, get started, please. I don't fancy another round with those foul Death Eaters."

"Any idea where the keys are?"

"You don't have the keys, Evans? Blimey! I thought this was supposed to be a rescue mission."

"It is," Lily growled. She huffed and moved closer to the lock on the bars. "Give me a moment."

Lily removed her hat and freed one of the slim knives for her hair. With practiced precision, she began to try to pick the lock. Her tongue poked out of her lips as she concentrated.

Potter came closer to watch her. He was inches from her face. "You know, Evans, you get more beautiful every time I see you."

She grunted back. If the situation weren't so dire, she would have rebuked him. But she could hear feet shuffling above them and didn't have time to continue their never-ending sparring match.

He didn't seem to mind her lack of response and kept chattering anyway.

"When was the last time I saw you? Oh, I remember. Sixth months ago at Minnie's. You were all brassed off because the Crown doubled the reward for my head after that raid on the Slytherins."

"That was my raid, and you know it," spat Lily through gritted teeth. "You never should have been given the credit for it. That was genius turning their sails banana yellow and stealing all their gold."

"The price I pay as the most notorious pirate in the seven seas, Evans. The world just assumes I've done everything wicked there is to do."

"Oh, you're not half as notorious as you think you are, Potter."

"You could always take me up on my offer, Evans. Join my crew. We'd rule the seas, you and me."

At last, the metal clicked and the lock sprung open. Potter pushed away the bars of the cell and grabbed Lily by the arm.

"Say 'yes', Evans."

Lily shook him off and readjusted her blades. "Why would I travel around the world with someone I detest?"

"Aw, come on, Evans, you can't hate me all that much if you came all this way just to save my life."

Lily paused to stare at his hopeful eyes and encouraging grin. "Let's get you out of this brig, Potter. I don't fancy getting caught today. Do you?"

He grinned but said nothing. In spite of all his bluster and swagger, he was seriously injured and could not move very fast on his own.

Lily leaned over to put her arm around his bare torso and support some of his weight. "Don't get any funny ideas about this, Potter."

"Wouldn't dream of it, Evans." His tone was lighthearted, but his face was contorted in pain and sweat.

Going up the stairs was difficult, and it took them entirely too long. Once they reached the deck, they found some crates to hide behind so that they could both catch their breath.

"Why, Evans, you're out of shape," he teased her with a wheeze of his own.

"You think you can swim, Potter?"

He winced, but after a moment his eyes hardened and there was a determined set of his jaw. "Going to have to. That rat bastard Riddle attacked my ship. I need to check on my crew. I won't forgive myself if I abandon them like that."

Lily nodded. She respected that. "We'll make our move soon. Let me just--"

She lifted herself from her crouch to check to see if the coast was clear. But as she scanned the deck, her eyes met another pair, darker than she'd ever seen.

"Shit!" she hissed, ducking back down.

"Oi! Someone's on deck!"

"No time! Let's go, Potter!"

She lifted him to his feet, and they both took off in a sprint toward the closest bulwark. As they climbed the railing, Lily could hear footsteps and shouting, but Lily wouldn't look back.

"She's taken the prisoner! Capture her, you fools!"

When they reached the top, James gazed back at them and turned to her. He looked like he was in pain, but he still had that ridiculous grin on his face. "They're going to start calling you the most notorious pirate on the seven seas, Evans."

"No time to care about that if we're dead, Potter."

She offered him her hand. He grinned at her as he took her hand in his own.

"I'm starting to suspect you don't hate me at all, Evans."

Lily leaned over and gave him a fast but fierce kiss on the lips. "In case we die today," she explained breathlessly.

"Today is not the day we die, Evans," he said confidently as he squeezed her hand. "Our adventures aren't even close to being over."

They both turned toward the sea and braced their knees. The Death Eaters were now so close that they were grabbing for their ankles.

"Jump!" Lily yelled.

And together the plunged headfirst into the water with their hands still joined.

 

 

A/N: hope you enjoyed!

**Author's Note:**

> Haven't written Jily in a while! Missed you all. Expect more Pirate AU oneshots to come! 
> 
> Love,
> 
> Molly


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